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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

My Personal (Black?) History: A L♥ve - Hate Relationship with Barbie

Barbie introduced me to fashion through play, but that body was a reinforcement of fascist body standards. The same kind of standards that led someone to believe he could comment on the First Lady's svelte frame as, somehow, deviant.

When I tried to cornrow my Black Barbie's hair it would just unravel, even if I packed it with Blue Magic Hair Grease (risking the wrath of my Mum). But the clothes are what I loved the most. If the Barbie Dolls of my generation had Afros like the ones I see now, maybe my collection of dolls wouldn't have ended up bald.

2 comments:

I thought I was the only one who knew about black barbie! I am so glad to find another person who knows what the hell I am talking about. Even though I am not fully african american people just toss me into that black barbie stereotype and call it a day...I am glad I am not the only person who has to deal with society's unruly view of women and women of color alone.